Stopper



A. POKRAS STOPPER July 5, 1949.

2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Dec. l5, 1945 I ,QQ

Patented July 5, 1949 UNITED STATES NT FFICE STOPPER p'pl'cation'Deocmb'er 15, 1945*', Serial No.- 635,384-- (Cl. 21o-15,6)

6 Claims-` 1 This invention relates to a stopper and has particular reference to' a stopper for the intake pipe of a dairy water heater or the like such as that disclosedand claimed. in thefapplication oi Ernst Koppel, filed December 8, 1.944, Serial No. 567,252, now Patent" Number 2,448,183.-

In the operation of a dairy water heater such as that disclosed in the application referred to a pail of cold water is poured into the container at the top of the heater and a pail of hot water is drown oft from the outlet pip-e at one side of the heater. Since a heater of this type is often located where flies and lth may accumulate in the open container of the heaterj it' is desirable to close the pipe leading fromy the containerv to the heater proper when the heater is not in use. At the same time the closure member must be of such a nature' that it caribe moved to a; position at which cold water placed in the container willl ilow into the pipe leading to the heater tank.

When Water iiovvs` into the pipe leading from the container it is desirable that ies and lth be filtered out. The stopper unit should also be of a type that need not be removed since it might be misplaced and readily lost.

One object of the invention is to` provide a stopper unit that operates as a closurev member for a pipe opening and` also as a lter when fluid ilows into the pipe.

Another object is to provide aneicient stopper unit at low cost to controlthe flow of water in a dairy water heater.

Another object is to provide a stopper unit that need not be completely removed to flow iluid into the pipe in which it is located.

A further object is to provide a stopper unit that will not be readily lost or misplaced.

Another object is to provide a stopper unit for the container oi a dairy Water heater that permits use of the same pail for. filling theheater with cold water and to draw oilhot water.

These and other objects ofthe invention will appear hereinafter in connection withL the following description of the embodiment` ofthe invention illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

Figure l is a longitudinal sectional View of a portion of a dairy Water heater partly in elevation with the stopper unit closing the. pipe leading to the container at the topof the heater;

Fig. 2 is a section taken online 2-2 of Figure 1;

Fig. 3 is a similar section showing the'position Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of a portion of a dairy water heater and showing the stopper unit in its uppermost position to permit iiow of water into the pipe leading from the container; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary top plan View showing how the splash guard prevents registry of the nipple and slot after assembly.

The drawings illustrate a dairy water heater l having an outlet 2 extendingv through the casing at the upper right side of the heater, and inlet pipe 3 leading to the heater proper from a receptacle l located at the top of the heater and a stopper unit 5 disposed to close oi the inlet to pipe 3.

The upper portion of receptacle 4 has a flange 6 that extends around the inner periphery oi the receptacle and supports the removable splash ring l.

The receptacle d may be assembled with the inlet pipe 3 in a number of different Ways. For example in the drawing illustrating the invention the opening in the receptacle leading to pipe 3 is surrounded by a iiange 8. The flange is aligned with inlet pipe 3 and rests within a tting 9 which is threaded onto the upper end of pipe 3. A gasket l0 is disposed between the upper end portion of tting 9 and flange 8 to insure there will be no leakage at the joint therebctween.

The lower end portion of flange B is provided with the inwardly turned lip ll, the use of which willbe more fully described hereinafter.

The stopper unit 5 operates as a closure member to close oli pipe 3 from receptacle 4 when it is not desired to draw Water from the heater and as a filter member when water is ilowed into the pipe 3 from receptacle d as illustrated in Fig. 4 in order to draw ofi water from outlet pipe 2 of the heater.

The stopper unit 5 comprises a stopper l2, a hollow perforated cylinder or screen I3 and a gasket I4.

The stopper l2 is preferably of corneal shape to permit wedging of the same into the upper end 0i pipe 3 when it is desired to close one the latter. The stopper preferably is of rubber or other Inaterial that may be readily molded and which Will withstand corrosion in service.

The cylinder i3 is of sheet metal and has periorations l5 therein to permit flow of water therethrough when cold water is poured into receptacle Il to force hot water from the heater through outiet pipe 2. The cylinder I3 may also ber of other construction-- such as. screeningl secured to metal end frames to giverigidity thereto.v

The upper end of cylinder I3 is molded into the lower portion of the conical stopper I2 to become an integral part thereof and rigidly support the same.

The gasket I4 is suitably secured to the lower end of sheet metal cylinder I3, and has a diameter with relation to the diameter of pipe 3 to provide a press t therebetween. The t between gasket I4 and pipe 3 is of such a nature that the gasket Ill will hold the stopper unit 5 rigidly in place at whatever position the unit is located within the upper end of pipe 3.

The gasket I4 may be of rubber or other suitable composition that will withstand corrosion in service, and which is compressible to obtain the tight fit with pipe 3 that is desired. Gasket I4 is provided with a vertical slot I6 which registers with lip II of flange 8 when the stopper unit 5 is initially assembled within the heater.

A handle l? is molded into the upper end of cork I2 and extends upwardly above the top of container so that it may be readily grasped by the operator. The upper end portion of the handle I' is flanged away from ring I and has a hand ring IS to additionally provide the same for ready manipulation.

The operator of the diary heater may grasp the handle I? and force the same downwardly to locate the stopper I2 in the flanged opening of receptacle d leading to pipe 3 to close off pipe S from receptacle :l when water is not being drawn from the heater I.

When it is desired to draw off hot water from the heater, cold water is poured into container Il and the operator then grasps ring I8 of handle i l and pulls the same upwardly a slight distance. This removes stopper I2 from the opening of lange 8 leading to pipe 3 and exposes the llter I'J. Cold Water then flows into pipe 3 from receptacle il through the sheet metal cylindrical lter I3. The gasket It; remains in the upper end of pipe 3 and holds the stopper unit 5 in the position desired by the operator.

The stopper unit 5 is assembled within the iiange 8 of the receptacle and inlet pipe 3 before splash ring i is placed in position on iiange t of the receptacle.

In assembling the stopper unit in place, the slot I 6 in gasket I@ is registered with lip I I of flange 8 as shown in Fig. 3 and the stopper unit is pushed downwardly until gasket Ill passes beyond lip E l. The stopper 5 is then turned to a position where slot I6 no longer registers with lip i I as shown in Fig. 2.

When turned to final position, the handle Ii is at a position as shown in Fig. 4 at which splash ring 'I can be placed on flange 6 of receptacle 4. When the ring is in place it is impossible to turn handle I'I to a position where slot I6 and lip II register as particularly illustrated in Fig. 5. Thus after assembly, the stopper unit 5 may be moved up and down at will by the operator, but cannot be removed from the opening in the receptacle leading to inlet pipe 3 as removal is prevented by lip Il.

Other means to prevent removal of the stopper unit 5 in service than that illustrated and described may well be employed.

The filter cylinder I3 prevents foreign matter such as flies, filth or the like from following the water from receptacle 4 into pipe 3 and thus the hot water drawn oi from outlet pipe 2 is clean and generally free of lth that would ordinarily be present if the stopper unit of the invention were not employed.

By providing a stopper unit, as described, filth is prevented from getting into the water of the heater and it is not necessary to completely remove the stopper from the heater to permit water to flow into the heater. There is no danger that the stopper unit will be lost or misplaced as would he the case were it necessary to remove the same. Also the stopper unit cannot be completely removed from the heater unless splash ring I is removed and slot I6 registered with lip II by turning the stopper unit.

It is possible to construct the stopper unit in other ways than that described to carry out the purposes of the invention but the embodiment shown and described is very effective and readily produced at low cost.

Various embodiments of the invention may be employed within the scope of the accompanying claims.

I claim:

1. A stopper unit for the intake pipe of a dairy water heater or the like in which said pipe leads from a container receiving the water iiowed into the heater and an outlet pipe leads from the heater to supply hot water in relation to the input of cold water through the intake pipe, said stopper unit comprising a stopper adapted to close said intake pipe to prevent water flowing thereto from said container, a lter member secured to the lower end of said stopper and disposed to lter out foreign matter when the stopper is raised from the intake pipe and water flows through said lter member to the intake pipe from said container, and means to hold the stopper unit rigidly in place in said intake pipe at whatever position the unit is located within the upper end of the intake pipe to regulate the iiow of water from the container to the intake pipe and the consequent output of water by the heater.

2. A stopper unit for the intake pipe of a dairy water heater or the like in which said pipe leads from a container receiving the water to carry the water into the tank of the heater, said stopper unit comprising a stopper adapted to close the inlet of said pipe to prevent water flowing thereto from said container, a iilter ring of rigid construction secured to the lower end of said stopper and disposed in the path of the flow of water from the container to the intake pipe to filter out foreign matter from the water when the stopper is raised from the intake pipe and water flows to the pipe from said container, and a gasket secured to the lower end of the lter ring and radially compressed within the upper end of the intake pipe to retain the lter portion of the stopper unit therein at dened positions when the stopper is raised from the pipe.

3. A stopper unit for the intake pipe of a dairy Water heater or the like in which said pipe leads from a container receiving the water to carry the water into the tank of the heater, said stopper unit comprising a conical shaped stopper disposed to close the inlet of the intake pipe to prevent water owing thereto from said container, a perforated sheet metal cylinder molded into the lower end of the stopper and disposed at the inlet to said intake pipe in the path of the iiow of water from the container to the pipe to iilter out foreign matter from the water when the stopper is raised and water flows to the intake pipe from said container, and a gasket secured to the lower end of said cylinder and radially compressed within the upper end of the intake pipe to retain the lter in the pipe at a defined position when the stopper is raised from the pipe and seal the cylinder against passage of water between it and the p-ipe.

4. A stopper unit for the intake pipe of a dairy Water heater or the like in which said pipe leads from a container receiving the water to carry the water into the tank of the heater, said stopper unit comprising a conical shaped stopper disposed to close the inlet of said intake pipe to prevent water flowing thereto from said container, a perforated sheet metal cylinder molded into the lower end of the stopper and disposed at the inlet to said intake pipe in the path of the flow of water from the container to the pipe to lter out foreign matter from the water when the stopper is raised and water flows to the intake pipe from said container, a gasket secured to the lower end of said cylinder and radially compressed within the upper end of the intake pipe to retain the filter in the pipe when the stopper is raised from the pipe and seal the cylinder against passage of water between it and the pipe, and a handle molded into the upper end of said stopper to permit ready manipulation of the stopper unit to wedge the stopper into the intake pipe for closing the same and to raise the stopper and permit water to ow to the pipe from the container through said perforated lter cylinder.

5. A stopper unit for the intake pipe of a dairy water heater or the like in which said .pipe leads from a container receiving the water to carry the water into the heater with said container having a flange lsurrounding the opening in the container leading to said pipe and provided with an inwardly turned lip, said stopper unit comprising a. stopper adapted to close the inlet of the intake pipe to prevent water flowing thereto from said container, a I'llter member secured to the lower end of said stopper in the path of the now of water from the container to the pipe and disposed to lter out foreign matter from the water when the stopper is raised from the intake pipe and water flows to the pipe from said container, a gasket secured to the lower end of 45 the filter ring and radially compressed within the upper end of the intake pipe, and a vertical slot extending through said gasket and ,disposed to register with the lip on the flange of the container when the stopper unit is assembled with the heater and to be out of registry with the lip when the stopper unit is turned in service to prevent removal of said stopper unit.

6. In a dairy water heater having a stopper unit to regulate the flow of water from a water receiving container through a iianged opening therein to the inlet pipe of the container, said stopper unit comprising a central filter member secured at one end to a stopper and at the other end to a gasket disposed in the inlet pipe and located in the path of the iiow of water from the container to the pipe when the stopper is raised from the pipe, and means to prevent removal of said stopper unit which comprises an inwardly turned lip on the flange of the container disposed to register with a slot extending vertically through said gasket lwhen the stopper unit is assembled with the heater and with said slot out of registry with the lip when the stopper unit is turned in service to prevent removal of said stopper unit, a splash guard supported on the upper end of the container, and a handle secured to the stopper of the unit and extending upwardly to a line above said splash guard, said splash guard, preventing turning of said handle when in place on the container to prevent the lip and slot from registering and removal of the stopper unit when the heater is in service.

ADOLPI-I POKRAS.

REFERENCES CITED The following referenlces are -of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 438,465 Blessing Oct. 14, 1890 947,170 Williams Jan. 18, 1910 1,203,530 Gessler Oct. 31, 1916 

